Giver, Taker and Matcher

Hi everyone,

In my last article, I dived into the topics that drive high performers and motivate them to do so. As a direct follow-up today, we will closely examine the different collaboration styles.

I always love working with the classifications between giver, taker, and matcher, which Adam Grant introduced. I also strongly recommend watching his popular TED session or reading his book. The classification is quite easy to learn, though it is very powerful to understand! Let′s start!

Giver

In short, a giver provides help and support without expecting anything in return. They are typically very kind and sympathetic and love to interact with people. The biggest issue for givers is that they can't typically say 'no' to any request, and as a result, their help is continuously being abused by matchers and takers.

A strong and good recommendation is the 5-minute rule and the fisherman approach. The 5-minute rule recommends that if someone asks you for help and there is an easy way to help others in less than 5 minutes, you should almost always do it. (Unless it is too often, obviously.)

The fisherman's approach is simply the idea of not fishing for others but supporting them to learn to fish for themselves.

You should never do the work for someone else.

Instead, you coach the others by providing materials and guidance and asking the right questions so they don′t come back to you with the same problem.

Taker

The taker, though, is the full contrary. They try to get their work done by others and are very happy to put their name on every document and presentation, though they did not work primarily for it.

Takers are very often smart, though they can easily be identified, as they react harshly and angrily if you turn them down or if they are confronted with the fisherman′s approach.

The reason: Takers typically don′t just want the support; they are typically looking for solutions.

Matcher

And the majority of the people out there are matchers. The idea is simple - if you do something for me, you will get something in return.

Quid pro quo, Clarice!

One word to all the matchers out there: You are well-advised not to always ask for something in return. Givers will typically also get something in return - very often in the far future, but one thing is certain.

Being a giver will make you immediately a better person.

As a result, I train my mentees always to be givers and matchers, depending on the situation, and always to be supportive. In IT, it is almost always impossible to know every detail. Therefore, it is urgently important to build a supportive and helpful culture!

At shiftavenue, our primary goal is to create an environment where high performers can collaborate, work, and grow together.

Therefore, we are building up a people-focused company with one of our primary goals being to build up the best Learning and Development ever and fulfill all requirements and needs of high performers.

If you want to be part of it, do not hesitate to reach out.

Best regards,

David das Neves